Stormy Days and Lightning Rays
by D3m0nDarks
Summary: 7 year old Freed was terrified of lightning. Until he met him... young!Fraxus short one-shot


Freed panted as he pushed through the crowded streets. People cussed at the young boy as he ran, but he ignored them. The rain started coming down harder, pounding on others' umbrellas. He had to find someplace safe.

Another rumble was heard in the distance, and the greenette flinched, but picked up his speed.

As he was running, he suddenly collided with someone and fell back, landing on his rear, the cool pavement beneath him offering a greeting.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

The small boy looked up, seeing a blonde kid, about ten years old, staring down at him. He was wearing a white tee and jeans. A set of headphones covered his ears. The greenette quietly wondered if the boy would even be able to hear him respond. He didn't seem to be bothered by the rain in the least bit. The boy's eyes widened as he took in Freed's face.

"Why are you crying?" He asked, a frown etching itself onto his perfect face.

Just then, another rumble of thunder sounded through the city, making the younger boy cringe.

"Ah, you're scared of lightning, huh?"

Freed gave a silent nod.

"You got any place to go?" The greenette shook his head. "Then come with me." Not waiting for the boy to respond, the blonde grabbed Freed's wrist, forcing him onto his feet, and dragging him through the streets.

"Wh-Where are we going?" The boy stammered.

The blonde looked over his shoulder and grinned at him. "To Fairy Tail!"

Freed continued to follow the stranger, stumbling through the streets. Eventually, they came to a large building in front of the ocean. It looked like a castle, but there was a large banner hanging on the front of it that said "Fairy Tail". The blonde ushered him in.

"Macao, get us a glass of warm milk!" He called out.

The bartender looked at the two of them in surprise, but went into a room behind the bar. The blonde dragged Freed over to the bar and forced him to take a seat on one of the stools. The older boy sat beside him.

"Here, wear these." The blonde took off his headphones, placing them over Freed's ears. "They're magic-infused headphones," he explained, "they cancel out only the sound of thunder, but you can still hear everything else." Ah, that explained how he was still able to know what people were saying.

"Thank you... But why do you have them? Are you scared of thunder too?"

The stranger laughed. "No, I'm a lightning Dragon Slayer, so I can basically turn myself into lightning. But if I was to do so without the headphones, I would probably burst my eardrums."

"I see..." Indeed, the sound of thunder was gone, and Freed was already beginning to relax. The gentle murmur of the guild went on as if nothing was wrong. The bartender, Macao, if he recalled correctly, came back out and placed a cup of warm milk in front of him. He thanked the man and took a sip, enjoying the feeling of the sweet liquid trickling down his throat.

"Laxus, who's your friend?"

The two boys looked over to see a tiny elderly man dressed in bright orange and blue colored clothes. He was sitting on the bar, a cup of ale in his hand. A wooden staff with a smiley face laid on the counter next to him.

"Grandpa!" The blonde, Laxus, cheered, "this is... uh..."

"Freed Justine." The greenette answered.

"Welcome, Freed. I'm Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail." He offered the kid a large warm smile.

"It's nice to meet you, sir." He bowed his head.

"No need for formalities, boy. But it's nice to find a kid your age with some manners. My grandson could learn a thing or two from you."

"Hey!" The blonde protested.

"So," the master continued, ignoring Laxus, "do you have any place to go?"

Freed shook his head. "My parents were murdered during a thunderstorm... That's why they scare me so much..." He looked down at the glass in his hands, memories of thunder blocking out terrified screams and lightning illuminating the blood splattered across the walls for only a split second before returning to darkness flashing through his mind.

"Then we'll just have to make some happy memories during thunderstorms, now won't we?" Laxus' grin brightened up the whole room, making the greenette's heart skip a beat.

Nowadays, Freed loved thunder and lightning. It was because of a storm he had met Laxus and joined Fairy Tail. It was lightning out when he finally realized his feelings for the blonde, and when he confessed to him. It was thundering when they shared their first kiss, and storming when the blonde asked him to spend the rest of his life with him.

It took a few years, but Freed finally came to realize that the saying was true; thunder and lightning really weren't so frightening.


End file.
